Opinion: As a scientist and NFL widow, I am furious about a recent NFL Players Association-funded CTE study

When 125 million Americans watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) don’t want them thinking about the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy. When fans see an exciting big hit, thinking about how the players might not know their own family members in 30 years ruins the fun.

But I have personally seen the results of those hits 30 years later. My husband, Ralph Wenzel, played in the NFL for seven seasons. At just 54 years old, he was having memory lapses and cognitive problems. By 56, he was diagnosed with early signs of dementia, and by 63 he was in memory care. An autopsy confirmed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

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